You know the drill: teachers get fired for posting their opinions about the school or parents online. While I see a clear violation of the First Amendment, it comes down to people being offended psychologically, which leads to the public outrage and usually firing of that teacher. Teachers are told to stay away from students online, and to make sure their profiles are private.
I think this is one of the biggest mistakes in the education sector today. As a teacher, you are trying to make a connection with students. The beautiful part about Social Media is the fact that you can create connections with people you really couldn’t reach in everyday life. Taken together, social media has the potential of reaching the people that you speak with everyday through a format that they are very comfortable with.
I am planning on incorporating Social Media in my classroom when the next semester begins. I will be maintaining a Facebook and a Twitter page that my students can follow. I will be using Hootsuite to schedule posts outside of school time, which will link to my school website, where assignments with be posted, as well as relevant class information. Students will be able to interact with the page. And I am betting that it helps students complete assignments and ultimately enhance their learning.
I will keep you updated on this endeavor.
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